Bad Magic
by Lamia of the Dark
Summary: Drabble Collection. Ren and Kyoko as parents, raising a troubled young boy who is burdened with psychic powers. A mix of dark angst and fluff.
1. Your Wise Men Don't Know How It Feels

**DISCLAIMER: Skip Beat! belongs to Yoshiki Nakamura.**

 **A/N: This is part of the same AU as my old fic "Sacred Lie".**

~ Bad Magic ~

The boy glares at his mother, violet eyes flashing.

"You're a liar!" he yells. "I hate you!"

The woman turns and runs inside the house, leaving her four-year-old child outside alone, not bothering to stop and pick up the blue stone from where he dropped it into the dirt.

* * *

The boy is still standing in the same spot when his father comes home.

"Cain," the man says. "You need to apologize to your mother. What you said really hurt her feelings."

"She should apologize to me!" the boy spits. He points to the stone on the ground beside him. "She _lied_. She said it was _magic_ but it's not, it's the same as everything else in the world!"

Before he has time to wonder about what the boy could mean by that, the man notices that the child is sunburned.

"You should come inside, even if you're not ready to make up with your mom yet. We need to get some aloe on that sunburn. Have you been standing outside all day?"

"I don't know why you care," the boy says, not moving from where he stands. "You're not even my real dad."

* * *

Cain sees shock stamped on the face of the man who has been pretending to be his father all these years. It is nearly identical to the expression his mother wore when he told her he hates her.

"How do you know...?" fake-Dad puts forth hesitantly.

"From the memories that are soaked into the stone."

And for the first time since the child's birth, 'Dad' realizes that Cain inherited more from his real father than just his eye color.

The boy's psychometry is strong... and to him, the whole world is a source of pain.

~oOo~


	2. Cold

**A/N: We'll be jumping around in time a bit...** **This one takes place when Cain is about six months old. And, yes, the style will be different during chapters that are focused on the adults.**

~ Bad Magic ~

"Um, Moko-san..." Kyoko began hesitantly. "You have a lot of younger siblings, right?"

Kanae sighed. She had known this would be coming... the day when Kyoko started asking her advice about matters related to child-rearing.

"Yes," she answered. "Why? What do you want to know?"

"Um... is it normal for babies to get cold really easily?" Kyoko asked.

"Huh? Well, kind of... I mean, that's why infants are usually swaddled. But isn't your kid a little old for that?"

"But," Kyoko said, frowning, "Cain cries a lot if he isn't wrapped in a thick layer of blankets."

Kanae didn't have a ready answer for that. It figured that Kyoko's son would be a weirdo like his mother even when he was still a baby...

"I don't know, maybe it's a comfort thing..."

~oOo~


	3. Cactus Child

~ Bad Magic ~

When he was not screaming over the lack of a sufficient amount of blankets, Cain was an unusually quiet baby. If something caused a delay in his usual meal time, he would go hungry rather than cry to be fed.

No one was particularly surprised that he did not begin to speak as early as most children. He was nearly two years old by the time he spoke his first word. That word was _cactus_.

When their two-year-old began yelling, "I'm a cactus! I'm a cactus!" upon being picked up by anyone, they assumed at first that it was some sort of game the child had invented.

It took them longer than it should have to realize that he did not like being touched.

~oOo~


	4. You're Not the Only One

**A/N: chapters 2 & 3 were mostly to give some insight into what Cain was like before he became the bitter, twisted child you met in chapter 1.**

 **Also we're still going to be jumping around in time rather than having events go in a linear progression... and most of the chapters probably won't be in the same style as the first chapter was.**

~ Bad Magic ~

Cain doesn't like parties. He doesn't know why his parents' boss orders them to bring their five-year-old son along to the company holiday parties. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if people weren't always trying to _touch_ him, but almost every lady who met Cain called him cute and wanted to hug him or pet his hair.

So, as usual for these events, Cain is hiding in a corner by himself so that he does not have to spend the entire night dodging unwanted physical contact.

The boy is surprised when someone comes and sits beside him. It takes him a moment to recognize his father's manager. This is the first time Cain has seen him wearing casual clothing rather than his usual business suit.

"Why are you hiding back here? You hate parties that much?" Yashiro asks without preamble.

Cain thinks for a moment before he answers. He could probably send the man away by saying that yes he does hate parties and wants to be left alone, but he has a feeling that Yashiro is trying to help him (although he's not exactly sure how), and he is tired of being an angry cactus all the time.

"I don't hate parties, I just don't like being around so many people," the boy explains. "It's not that I don't like being hugged, either... but when people touch me it makes my bad magic work, and..."

He trails off and glances at Yashiro, expecting the adult to not believe him or not understand, as has always happened when he tried to talk to anyone other than his parents about his psychometry.

"You know," Yashiro says. "I have bad magic, too. It's not the same as yours, but I've learned to live with it."

Cain perks up a bit at this revelation.

"Really? What does yours do?"

"All living creatures emit a weak magnetic field. Mine is stronger than most people's, and I can't handle electronics barehanded without breaking them because of it."

That does sound like a useless and annoying power to have. But the child is hesitant to believe it. He knows that adults lie sometimes.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" he asks, his skepticism ringing clear in his tone.

"Would you like to see for yourself?" Yashiro says with an odd smile, holding out one hand toward the child as if in offering.

Frowning, Cain reaches out and carefully places his fingertips against the man's palm, and his mind is flooded with memories of accidentally-killed computers, cell phones, and various other devices... and just one memory of a time that Yashiro broke someone's cell phone _on purpose_.

As he breaks contact, severing the psychospiritual connection, the boy realizes that this is the first time he has ever used his powers of his own volition.

~oOo~


	5. It Comes Down Like Rain

**A/N: This is a direct follow-up to chapter 1.**

~ Bad Magic ~

The boy cringes as the man kneels in front him, but all Kuon does is pick up the blue stone before standing back up. The child is always amazed by how easy it is for other people to touch things with no worries about what emotions or memories may be ingrained in them.

"Just because we're not blood-related doesn't mean I'm not your 'real' father. I'm the one who raised you."

Even though he now knows why the child hates to be touched, Kuon reaches out a gloved hand to ruffle his son's hair. He doesn't go overboard like his own father would have, but he can't help wanting to show affection when he sees such an anguished expression on Cain's little face.

* * *

Kyoko's lingering hurt feelings are immediately swept aside by concern for her injured baby.

When she drops to her knees in front of him but stops short of hugging him, Cain bursts into tears and throws himself into his mother's arms. Not caring about the stinging pain in his sunburned skin or what memories he may pick up from touching her, he just wants to be a normal child for once and have his mother hold and comfort him.

The only thing his sixth sense seems to be picking up is a cloud of rainbow sparkles filled with flowers and fairies. It takes the boy a few minutes to realize that what he is sensing is his mother's love for him.

After applying aloe vera to his sunburn, Kyoko wraps Cain in a big fluffy blanket and rocks him in her lap until he falls asleep, which is something he hasn't allowed her to do since he was an infant.

~oOo~


	6. Mama's Little Knight

~ Bad Magic ~

Kyoko regrets not bringing a bodyguard (or at least her husband) along on what was supposed to be just a short trip to the store to pick up a carton of milk when she is swarmed by paparazzi.

The famous actress is stunned into silence as the reporters berate her for having her four-year-old son wrapped in thick blankets on such a hot summer day. The child doesn't understand exactly what is going on, only that people are being mean to his mom because of his blanket.

"I _need_ my Fluffy," Cain says, pouting at the photographer as he hugs the blanket around himself.

The paparazzi reporters nearly melt from the cuteness of it as the little boy glares at them before snuggling into his mother's shoulder.

"Aww, he named it 'Fluffy'!"

"So cute!"

"I wish my son was that cute..."

~oOo~


	7. Bedhead and Old Headlines

**A/N: Since there have been quite a few questions about Reino, and whether Ren killed him...**

~ Bad Magic ~

Twelve-year-old Cain is digging through his father's closet for an old hat of Dad's that his little sister wants to wear, when he knocks over a shoebox full of newspaper clippings. The almost-teen curses and quickly scoops the loose bits of paper back into the box, not bothering to look at the headlines of the articles, so focused on getting the mess packed away quickly and returning to his beloved sister with the results of his treasure hunt.

Having not looked at the contents of the articles, Cain is not prepared for the storm of strong negative emotions attached to them.

 _"I know it's horrible... but I'm glad he's dead. I know it's awful of me to think that about anyone... but knowing that he's not around anymore... I feel so relieved..."_

 _"After what he did to you, he didn't deserve to live."_

Cain is dragged back to the present by his sister's impatient voice.

"Onii-chan! Can't you find it?"

Setsuka stands in the doorway with her hands on hips, golden eyes narrowed, blonde hair hanging around her face in wild tangles. At five years old, she should know how to brush her own hair, but Mom always does it for her. When Mom isn't home, Setsu won't let Dad near her with a brush, and Cain is afraid he'll hurt her if he tries.

"I found it," he answers. "I just knocked something over that I have to clean up. Here, catch!"

He tosses the hat across the room. It flies over Setsuka's head out into the hallway.

"Hey!" she protests, running after it.

It wasn't the nicest thing to do, but it did keep her from coming over here to help him clean up the papers and seeing what the articles were about. Cain reads some of the headlines as he piles the clippings back into the box.

 ** _Actors Hidehito Kijima and Taira Murasame Taken into Police Custody in Illegal Street Racing Incident_**

 ** _Pedestrian Hit In Celebrity Street Racing Incident Is In Critical Condition_**

 ** _Victim of Celebrity Street Racing Incident Passed Away From His Injuries_**

 ** _Vie Ghoul Disbands After Death of Vocalist_**

~oOo~


	8. The Squid and the Octopus

~ Bad Magic ~

Unlike normal children, eight-year-old Cain Hizuri does not particularly look forward to recess. Other children his age do not like quiet games where no one touches each other, so Cain wanders off alone to sit in the grass and play with his favorite toy - a stuffed octopus named Burrito-kun which his mother made for him.

Today when he goes to his usual spot, he finds something strange. There is a stuffed toy squid laying in the grass.

Cain twists two of Burrito-kun's tentacles into a loose knot and hangs the octopus around his neck for safekeeping before kneeling next to the abandoned squid and cautiously reaching out to it...

* * *

He doesn't normally go to the part of the playground where the kindergartners like to play, but Inky-chan's memories told him that he'll find the lost squid's owner here.

The little girl is crying when he finds her, which makes it awkward for Cain to approach her, especially when one of the other little girls points at him and yells, "Hey, aren't you that boy who got in trouble for hitting people?"

Cain scowls and the younger children scatter in fear, leaving just him and the crying girl.

"Nina... chan...?" he says hesitantly.

The girl rubs her eyes and looks up at him.

"How did you know my name?" she asks.

"Inky-chan told me," he replies.

Nina lights up when she sees the squid in Cain's arms and she runs to him immediately, all notion of caution forgotten at the prospect of being reunited with her beloved toy.

"Inky-chan!" she squeals, hugging the squid. "Yay, you found her!" After a few moments she looks up from nuzzling the toy and notices that Cain is still standing there watching her. "Hey, you got an octopus!" she says, spotting Burrito-kun dangling from Cain's neck. "Want to play?"

She wiggles one of Inky-chan's tentacles at him.

Cain just stares for a moment. He does not make friends easily and has never had another child happily invite him to play with them. (His sister doesn't count, she's just a baby.) He wonders what the correct response is. Should he smile? Introduce himself?

"Sure, let's play," he says, detaching the octopus from himself and holding it in his arms. "I'm Cain, and this is Burrito-kun." He picks up one of the octopus's tentacles and makes Burrito-kun wave 'hi' to Nina and Inky-chan.

Nina giggles.

"Why is he named Burrito? Isn't that food?"

"My grandpa named him. Grandpa's weird," Cain replies with a shrug.

* * *

Nina Fuwa does not understand why her father is upset when she introduces him to her new friend and tells him that she's going to marry Cain when she grows up.

~oOo~

 **A/N:** The octopus's name is a cross-lingual pun. Tako (Japanese for octopus) - taco - burrito. Kuu is the one who named it.


	9. Midnight Movie with Dad

~ Bad Magic ~

Kuon hits Pause on the DVD-player remote as thirteen-year-old Cain slinks into the living room.

"What are you doing up?" Kuon asks, not unkindly.

"I can't sleep," Cain replies. "Setsu had a nightmare."

Kuon sighs. As many times as he and Kyoko have told their daughter to come to them when she has a bad dream and not bother Cain, nightmares always send Setsu running to her big brother for comfort. Unfortunately for Cain, this means he gets to experience her nightmares for himself, and not just in the form of disjointed storytelling.

"Well, since you're up anyway, do you want to watch this movie with me? I can start it over from the beginning."

"Sure," Cain says, coming over to sit next to his dad on the couch. (Although not too close.) "What are we watching?"

" _Tragic Marker_. I hope it's not too scary for you..."

"I'm not sure anything can scare me more than Setsu's imagination."

* * *

His sister's nightmare has successfully been driven out of his thoughts by the time the credits roll.

"Hey, wait..." Cain says with a frown. "Who's _Cain Heel_? I thought you played BJ, Dad."

Kuon couldn't help laughing at the question combined with Cain's expression, which was a combination of serious and confused.

"When the movie was being filmed and for six months after it was released, the true identity of the actor who played BJ was kept secret. I played a role within a role. The mysterious actor 'Cain Heel' played BJ... and when the director was ready to publicly reveal who really played BJ, I also shed my 'Ren Tsuruga' persona and came out to the public as Kuon Hizuri. I know I've told you this before, but you were born on the set of _Tragic Marker_. Your mother didn't want to interrupt the filming when she went into labor, and by the time anyone realized something was wrong with her, it was too late to take her to the hospital."

Yes, Cain had heard the story of his birth before, but without having known about the role-within-a-role his dad had played, he never before thought to question the fact that his mother had been on the set with his father.

"Wait," Cain says. "If your identity was supposed to be a secret, then why was Mom there on set with you? Wouldn't people have been able to figure it out?"

"Are you forgetting that your mother is an actress? She was in a role to disguise her identity, too," Kuon replied, chuckling.

"What role?" Cain asked curiously.

"Cain Heel's sister, Setsuka. And before you ask, yes. You and your sister are named after the Heel siblings."

" _Why?_ "

Kuon shrugged. "We liked those names, and we became rather attached to them. Actually, we considered naming you 'Ren' at first, before your mother decided that would be too confusing."

~oOo~


	10. Purify I

~ Bad Magic ~

His mother stands barefoot on the rocky riverbank and looks back over her shoulder at him, smiling.

She says, "This is a magic place. It's where I met my fairy prince for the first time."

She radiates happiness. She is excited, and a bit anxious, wanting her childhood refuge to become a place of healing for her son as well.

She _sparkles_. And he can almost believe that fairies are real like Mom says, and that good magic exists, too.

The blue stone winks up at them through the clear water as the sunlight begins to fade.

They are leaving 'Corn' here to be purified.

As precious as the stone is to her, she will not allow anything to hurt her son.

~oOo~


	11. Purify II

~ Bad Magic ~

The twins run ahead of their parents, heedless of their mother's pleas for them to _slow down_ and _be careful_.

Keiji and Kairo Hizuri are normal six-year-old boys, carefree and playful in a way that their father never was as a child.

"Hey, I remember this place!" Kairo shouts, startling his brother.

Keiji trips over a tree root and falls flat on his face, only to spring up a moment later crying "I'm OK! I'm OK!" in spite of his skinned knee.

The rest of the family has almost caught up to the twins when the boys glance at each other with identical mischievous expressions, but before they can take off running again, they are stopped by the scolding of their little sister.

"Kaiju! Kaeru! Stop being bad in the magic place or fairies will play a trick on you!"

Mariko glares down at them from where she is perched on their father's shoulders. The four-year-old girl is the only one of the three kids who inherited Dad's piercing violet gaze, and she is a little tyrant who has her brothers well under her thumb.

Sulking, the boys walk on either side of their mother, each holding one of her hands as they approach the mystical place at the riverbank.

A flash of blue in the water immediately catches Mariko's attention.

"Dad, what's that?"

Cain sets his daughter down and tells her, "It's a fairy stone that belonged to my mother."

"Why don't you go and get it?" Mom suggests, smiling gently.

Mariko gingerly fishes the blue stone out of the water, nearly dropping it when her fingers first make contact. She runs back to where her family waits and hands the stone over to her father.

Cain feels faint ghosts of emotion from 'Corn' but most of the stone's embedded memories seem to have been washed away by the thirty years it's spent in the river.

"It needs a little more time before we bring it home to your grandma, I think," he says. "Who wants to put it back?"

He can see that his daughter is hesitant to touch the stone again, and he can't blame her for that, even if her psychometry is not nearly as strong as his was at her age. He is surprised that the twins also hesitate to volunteer, as they fought for the honor when he brought them here before.

"I will."

Nina Hizuri smirks as she plucks the stone from her husband's hand and returns it to its resting place in the river.

~oOo~

 **A/N:** tee hee, were you surprised by the flash-forward?

For those who don't know: "Kaiju" is a giant monster (Godzilla, Mothra, etc.) "Kaeru" is Japanese for "frog".


	12. Karma Comes Full Circle

~ Bad Magic ~

"Sho, stop pouting," his wife says, poking the musician's cheek.

"I'm not _pouting_ just because I don't want my daughter hanging around with that boy!"

"And now you're whining." Mimori gives her husband's cheek one more poke before wrapping him in a hug. "You're just jealous because Nina is having her first crush and Daddy isn't the most important man in her life anymore."

"It's not that," he says. "It's just... I feel like Fate is laughing at me, like now my kid is destined to have her heart broken by Kyoko's kid... or if she doesn't and they actually end up together, then it would mean my kid and-"

He breaks off abruptly.

"Sho..." Mimori says slowly. "Please don't tell me you're still jealous of Ren Tsuruga*. I thought you got over that a long time ago after he married Kyoko and you asked him to play the piano in one of your music videos!"

Mimori still doesn't know about what happened between Kyoko and Reino, and Sho doesn't know how to discuss his fears about the children without bringing up that event. In order to avoid the subject, he sighs dramatically and throws up his hands in the universal gesture for alright-I-give-up.

"Fine, I won't tell Nina that she's forbidden to play with Cain."

~oOo~

*Yes, she used his old stage name on purpose here, even though everyone knows that Ren is actually Kuon Hizuri now.


End file.
